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  1. BenJohnson

    Head Loss through pipe system

    The answer is #2. Look at it this way. Pushing the liquid through each 3/4" pipe is going to need pressure to keep the water moving through all 5 pipes. To have the pressure you need, you must overcome the resistance (or drag) for each pipe. So you need to have enough head to push the liquid...
  2. BenJohnson

    Dumpster Spill Containment

    If possible, make a drainage hole in the dumpster. You will need a relatively small sump with a grate over the top located under the dumpster drainage port. If possible, the captured liquid can flow through the F.O.G. Building a spill containment enclosure (say, something like a concrete...
  3. BenJohnson

    Pump solids handling capacity behind a grinder?

    Screens and grinder pumps add a lot of unnecessary complexities. Since you are handling normal residential wastewater, I suggest you use the traditional approach of using solids pumps connected in series. This is time tested. Your attempt to make a better mousetrap has a lot of things that...
  4. BenJohnson

    Dam Gates (Vertical lift wheel gates)

    Your biggest problem is lifting those gates - heavy steel I presume. My first thought is to use an electric heavy-duty wench like those used on large pick-up truck. That would probably be the easiest to modify to meet your needs. A hydraulic hoist, such as used on utility trucks to lift a...
  5. BenJohnson

    Dog kennel waste system

    Most kennels have a sloped floor leading away from the main building. All waste and water flows into a single gutter that slopes down to a single drain. No pipes or drains are used in the kennels. With this system the kennels can be cleaned with a pressure hose - and all wastewater flows into...
  6. BenJohnson

    Civil engineering technology bachelors degree and job outlook for this degree

    There are no short cuts to a great career where you have a wide variety of choices of types of work. Believe me, when you are sitting in front of an interview panel for a job, nothing is better than having a B.S. Civil Engineering, Registered Professional Engineer. All of us Engineers have...
  7. BenJohnson

    remote sewer service application

    I like 77JQX post listed above. Talk to someone who has dealt with a situation like this before. Low flow, low slope, possible freezing, cost effectiveness of manholes. This type of project is prone to problems that are difficult to predict in advance. This is like a very long lateral. If...
  8. BenJohnson

    Ductile Iron vs Cast Iron

    Ductile Iron can be welded; Cast Iron cannot. Unplanned or future changes are much easier to make if you can weld on a fitting, patch, etc. I would sit down with the contractor and discuss thoroughly why he wants to change the specs. You are using pipe in a strange situation - so he may have...
  9. BenJohnson

    Forcemain sewer pipe mystery?

    First of all, 240' lift is pushing the limit for most pumps. I would work with a pump representative to make sure your system falls on the operating area of the pump curve. A centrifugal pump would have real problems - may need a progressing cavity pump. The velocity for force mains are...
  10. BenJohnson

    Acceptable Water Loss in Distribution System

    A lot can depend upon your location. In Southern California, where droughts are somewhat common, even a 10% loss is a problem. I suppose the opposite is true if you live in a rain forest. Many techniques are available to locate problem areas in water pipes: pressure tests, video camera, etc...
  11. BenJohnson

    Estimating water intake from a canal

    Parshall Flumes have the advantage of allowing most large floating objects in the canal to pass through a flow meter without getting hung up on the edge of a weir or pipe. I've use electronic height gauges above the flume to get a continuous flow readout that can be connected to a recording...
  12. BenJohnson

    Grate loading capacity

    Contractor's submittals must show a product that meets the requirements of the plans and specs. Never assume anything that is not written in the submittal. That's an axiomatic rule: never assume anything that you don't see written in black and white. If you have the slightest question in your...
  13. BenJohnson

    WaterCad

    The entire city water system is a network of pipes. The design of the whole system should be designed for fire flow at certain points. Trying to design your small system requires that you have more than just water pressure at one point. The City Engineer should have a lot more information...
  14. BenJohnson

    system against floating pipe

    I had that problem before, and we used a concrete slab (sort of like a foundation slab). We put one at every pipe joint and used a steel strap from the slab around the pipe. The slabs gave the pipeline support against settlement plus the steel straps kept the pipe from floating.
  15. BenJohnson

    What is the name of my job?

    I agree with dhengr - different words mean something slightly (or significantly) different in all languages. So terms may have different meanings in Germany. In English I would call you an Assistant to the Project Manager. That implies that you worked closely under the watchful eye and...
  16. BenJohnson

    Pipe Zone Compaction

    The 30in. HDPE is a big pipe to be filled with water for a detention system. Without proper backfill support on both sides of the pipe, it may want to flatten to a oval shape. That is big problem. However, if the contractor can widen the trench and the pipe can be properly supported with good...
  17. BenJohnson

    Direct Burial of Gatve valve, is it possible at 8m deep - how?

    Ahhh, the old project over budget so look for a cheap solution problem. Gate valves do need to be exercised (open and close) on regular basis or the gate will freeze. This can be done with the two piece valve box suggested above. If budget money is so tight, then this is your only option...
  18. BenJohnson

    Where does the Allowable Bearing Stress Equation come from?

    The bearing strength of a steel dowel is a lot stronger than the compressive strength of concrete. So the concrete will fail before the steel. Thus compressive strength of concrete will fail long before the dowel.
  19. BenJohnson

    Parking Space Requirements

    Having lived with bureaucracy most of my life, I can almost guarantee that whoever made that rule about 1:1 parking did so without firm data. Often times some high city official (often police or fire chief), complained because he had a problem at some event with gridlock parking. The reaction...
  20. BenJohnson

    Cost Estimating Guidelines

    If the cost estimate if to be the "engineer's cost estimate" to include in bid documents, then you must be as accurate as possible. That means you need to spend a lot of time calling manufacturer's representative, contractors, and other engineers to get a reasonably accurate estimate. If this...

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